Tiger Woods was arrested after a March 27, 2026 crash in Florida that left his SUV on its side. Police noted he was looking at his phone, was sweating, and had bloodshot, glassy eyes, and they found hydrocodone pills in his pocket. He was charged with DUI and released on bail, marking his fourth documented vehicle incident.
Tiger Woods told police that he was looking down at his cell phone and changing the radio station before a March 27 traffic crash in Florida that resulted in his SUV flipping on its side.
The new details come as the Martin County Sheriff’s Department released Woods’ arrest affidavit on March 31. The 15-time major golf champion was also described as “sweating profusely” when speaking with investigators after the crash.
The affidavit, obtained by USA TODAY Sports, also included observations by the arresting officer that Woods’ eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” as he performed a variety of field sobriety tests. In addition, a sheriff’s deputy found two small white pills in Woods’ pants pocket. The pills were later identified as hydrocodone, a potent opioid used to treat severe, chronic pain.
Woods, 50, was charged with DUI and failure to submit to a DUI test following the two-vehicle crash on Jupiter Island, where he has a home.
Neither Woods nor the driver of the other vehicle was injured in the crash.
Woods was taken into custody following the accident and was released at 11:11 p.m. on $1,150 bail later that night, a Martin County jail official told the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network.
What is hydrocodone? About the pills police say were found on Tiger Woods
Hydrocodone is a powerful painkiller that belongs to a group of medicines called opioid analgesics.
According to the Mayo Clinic, hydrocodone “may become habit-forming, causing mental and physical dependence” if used for a long time.
The most common side effects of taking hydrocodone − frequently prescribed under the brand name Vicodin − are dizziness and lightheadedness. Patients are routinely advised to avoid driving a vehicle or operating dangerous machinery if they are unsure how the medication will affect them.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicated that in 2024, 3.4 million individuals in the United States aged 12 or older reported misusing hydrocodone in the previous year.
Tiger Woods’ history of traffic accidents
The rollover crash in Jupiter Island, Florida, marks the fourth time golfer Tiger Woods has been involved in a dangerous incident with his vehicle.
- March 27, 2026: In a two-vehicle crash near his Florida home, Woods clipped a trailer from behind, flipping his Land Rover on its side. He was charged with DUI and failure to submit to a DUI test.
- February 23, 2021: Woods was behind the wheel in Los Angeles County when his SUV failed to navigate a curve in the road and went barreling in the median and into the opposite lane before hitting a tree and rolling over. Woods broke bones in his leg and was found unconscious. He was not charged or issued any traffic citation.
- May 29, 2017: Woods was found by police asleep at the wheel of a black Mercedes around 3 a.m. in Jupiter, Florida, with the car’s brake lights on and turn signal blinking. A toxicology report showed he had five drugs in his system at the time: Vicodin, Dilaudid, Xanax, Ambien and THC. He was charged with driving under the influence and pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
- November 27, 2009: Woods was driving his Cadillac Escalade when it hit a row of hedges and a fire hydrant outside his Windermere, Florida, mansion. A neighbor reported seeing Woods unconscious and snoring, according to a police report. He was cited for careless driving and fined $164. That incident came less than two days after the first public revelation of what would become a full-blown sex scandal with Woods at the center.
